Undecided if I want to be a nurse. Please help!

[anothervietguy, ADN, RN]

Hello,

I am new to this website. I quickly learned that there are tons of good information on this website. I am a former Police Officer. I have an A.S in Law Enforcement and B.S in Criminal Justice. Being a cop is what I have always wanted since I was 18. I love being a Police Officer. There wasn't a day that I did not want to go work. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and it literally ruined my career. I cannot be a cop anymore. It broke my heart. I'm going through a depression and slowly pulling myself out of it. I need a career change. My wife is a Respiratory Therapist. She told me that being a nurse will allow me to continue to help people and it's not as dangerous as being a Police Officer.

I have never thought about being a nurse. I took prisoners to the hospital all the time so I had some limited ideas of what a nurse does in the ER. I know that there are many types of nurses and the career advancement is great. My counselor asked me if I was interested in other career fields and I could not come up with one, other than being a Police Officer. I have been staying at home for the past two months and trying to figure out what I want to do but I came up empty. I finally listen to my wife and enrolled in a community college nearby for an ADN. It sucks for me to go back to school after working for the last 5 years. I did not take many science classes in college so it will be challenging to take the prerequisite classes. However, I strongly I believe I can do it. I have always been good with academic. I graduated college with 3.8 GPA and I was the Valedictorian of my police academy. My question is how do I know if a career in nursing is right for me. I truly enjoy helping people and this is the similarity between a nurse and a cop. However, the daily tasks are very different between these two jobs. I know this post is long but I truly appreciate your input.

[ItsThatJenGirl, CNA]

Try contacting a hospital and see if you can shadow a nurse. You could also get a job as a CNA to get a feel for the hospital environment.

Best of luck to you.

[nalie2, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN, NP]

I would try volunteering at a hospital. When I did volunteer that's where I discovered I was for sure in the right field. Some volunteers I worked with discovered nursing was NOT what they wanted to do.

[ILUVERNSG, MSN, RN]

These two posters have given good suggestions. I would call the hospitals clinical education department and ask to shadow a nurse. You might also like to shadow a paramedic that way you still get to help out on the mean streets. Or you could consider becoming a hospital safety and security officer. Good luck to you!

[Racer15, BSN, RN]

I will agree that the first two posters have the right idea. I have a family member that is a LEO. She quit her job to pursue nursing and quickly found out it was not for her.

[anothervietguy, ADN, RN]

Thank you for the suggestion. I put in an application for volunteer work at a nearby hospital. I am still waiting for it. The hospitals around here won't allow me to shadowing a nurse.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

OP: I guess my question would be this- would the circumstances of you not being allowed to be a police officer in any way impact your status as a potential nurse/ nursing student?

Because you have to pass a criminal background check and drug test for these. As your post was quite vague regarding the circumstances, I felt it was important for you to know so as not to waste your time if the circumstances might preclude you getting into school or getting licensed.

[anothervietguy, ADN, RN]

I don't have any criminal background. :)

[nalie2, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN, NP]

I highly suggest you get a good look at any profession you want to pursue after being a police officer. My brother was in a similar situation...loved his job as an officer, but was let go due to some political stuff. Now he's a social worker because he noticed they made good pay, but he hates his job.

[anothervietguy, ADN, RN]

Thank you for the suggestion. I can't think of anything that I want to do other than being a cop. The wound is still fresh. My mind is probably still very narrow. Social worker won't work for me. The pay is definitely a lot lower than what I used to make. The reason I am considering a career in nursing because it will enable me to help people in a different way and make decent money.